Colin Farrell to Play Oliver North in Amazon Iran-Contra Miniseries

The True Detective alum is attached to star as Oliver North in a limited series about the Iran-Contra affair for Amazon, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.

The project, which is in development, will reteam Farrell with his Lobster helmer Yorgos Lanthimos, who is poised to direct. The drama is being written by Enzo Mileti and Scott Wilson, with the formal pickup said to hinge on final scripts from the duo. The limited series hails from Red Hour Films' Ben Stiller and Nicky Weinstock.

North was a National Security Council staff member during the 1980s Iran Contra political scandal that involved the illegal sale of weapons to Iran to help encourage the release of U.S. hostages in Lebanon. He is said to have formulated part of the plan to divert proceeds from weapons sales to support Contra rebel groups in Nicaragua, which was prohibited. The Marine Corps veteran served in Vietnam and is a former Fox News host of War Stories With Oliver North.

For Amazon, this marks the latest big-swing deal for the streamer and retail giant. The company also landed two big TV packages from The Weinstein Co.: Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner's follow-up project as well as a David O. Russell drama starring Robert De Niro and Julianne Moore.

For his part, Lanthimos earned an Oscar nomination for his original screenplay for The Lobster, which starred Farrell. The pair also recently wrapped A24 feature The Killing of a Sacred Deer. Both are repped by CAA and LBI Entertainment.